Bittersweet Destiny
by anotherOUATwriter
Summary: A year into her loveless marriage, Regina finds herself travelling through the woods after she is invited to join her husband and stepdaughter at the Summer Palace. But her carriage is intercepted and the Queen never reaches her final destination, instead, she is held captive by Robin of Locksley, the hero from the peasants' stories. / OQ
1. Chapter 1

I wasn't supposed to publish this story until summer, but I'm so angry at the season finale and that I had to please my shipper heart. So, here it is.

Before we start: Regina recently married Leopold, but besides from throwing her mother through the looking glass, Regina hasn't learned magic. She's hurt and alone but she's not dark.

I do not own OUAT - because if I would that season finale would have turned out completely different.

Cover picture made by _Frivolous Whim_, the link to her tumblr in on my profile :)

Last, but not least, thanks to my beta xmyvampireheartx, you are awesome!

Mara

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**Bittersweet Destiny**

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After being held as a prisoner in her own castle for almost a year, only having her shadow as company, Queen Regina had been invited by her husband, King Leopold, to join him and his daughter at their Summer Palace. Regina had been thrilled when she heard the news; not because she was eager to see her husband and stepdaughter, but because she finally had permission to leave the stone walls that surrounded her and were driving her crazy.

She had always loved the nature, the forest, the smell of the rain; but all those things had become luxuries as soon as she married King Leopold. Now, her riding lessons had been cancelled, she couldn't expose her skin to the sun because royals didn't have tanned skin and she was forbidden to leave the castle. Regina wanted to believe that Leopold meant well, and that he was actually worried about her well-being. She had even made herself not to hate the king when he forced himself into her, repeating that it was his right as husband. But the more time she spent locked and alone, the harder it was for her to believe that Leopold even cared about her and the harder she found on her heart to forgive him and his daughter. How different would have her life been if Snow White had kept quiet? She would be with Daniel, with someone that loved her. But now she only had bitterness in her life.

The trip from the Royal Castle to the Summer Palace was a day long, she was not excited to get to the palace, but she would enjoy the ride as much as she could. Regina closed her eyes and cleared her mind, only thinking on the sound made by the horse's gallop. And secretly, she wished that she'd never reach the Summer Palace, she wished she could stay in the woods and live happily around the nature that was she so fond of.

A sudden halt made the Queen open her eyes. They couldn't have reached the palace so fast. She looked around and a wave of happiness washed her body: they were still in the woods. But as soon as the wave had appeared, it disappeared. Why had they stopped in the middle of the woods? It was dangerous, the place was filled with outlaws that couldn't live following King Leopold's orders and had decided to hide in the forest.

She was about to open her mouth to ask Faoro, the coach driver, why had they stopped when she heard men talking, they were being robbed. Silently, she got down from the carriage and started studying her situation, Faoro had been knocked out and tied to a tree, the two guards that had been assigned to protect her had suffered a similar fate. The bandits, who were too busy going through her baggage, failed to notice the presence of the Queen, so without making a sound Regina untied a horse, climbed onto the animal and started riding as fast as her dress let her, thanking the Gods that she didn't wear a tight dress that day.

She didn't look back, she didn't have to to know that someone was following her. She heard the bandit's horse approaching to her, with the sound of the gallop she knew he was closer to her by every minute that passed, cutting the distance between them. Then, Regina looked to one side, only to notice that a man was riding next to her. Panic took over her. What would she do now? Her horse couldn't outrun this man's animal.

But her thoughts were shaken by a tackle. The man that was riding next to her had jumped towards her horse and pushed her, together with him, down the horse. The bandit didn't let the woman's body hit the ground. He swung their bodies so that she would land over him as his strong arms embraced her, fixing her against his chest. He moaned when they both hit the ground, but Regina didn't feel bad about it, he deserved the pain. Pushing a Queen off her horse! Did this thief know who was he had just tackled? He could get his hand chopped, or worse, for this. The Queen quickly got off him and stood up, trying to think her escape options, the horse was no longer an option.

"Your majesty," the bandit that pushed her down said standing up and offering her a hand "Are you alright?"

"Do you think I'm alright?" the Queen snapped at him "You knocked my driver and my guards out, and then you knocked me down a horse! Of course I'm not alright," she replied to his idiotic question as she cleaned the dust out of her baby-blue gown.

"I'm sorry, your majesty, but we couldn't let you run away,"

"I am the Queen, as you well know," Regina asked, "I order you to let me go,"

"We are holding you for ransom," the bandit explained.

"Is this what this is about?" She chuckled. "A ticket out of your miserable life?"

"The King will pay a great deal for you, you are his wife," the bandit tried to reason with her.

"I'm his second wife, I can assure you he doesn't love me," she said in a tone that sounded more sad than she had wanted it to sound, but the bandit didn't seem to notice; and if he did, he didn't comment on it. "You should have tried kidnapping his precious daughter,"

"I would never harm a little girl,"

"Who knew a thief had honour?"

"I'm not a thief,"

"Really?" Regina asked arching an eyebrow.

"I just take from the rich to give it to the poor," he stated with a shrug, "It's a noble thing to do,"

"That's an interesting way of describing your hobby," she said, her voice painted with disdain "What's your name, thief?"

"Robin, Robin of Locksley, your majesty," he replied in the same tone that she had used against him.

Robin of Locksley, she had heard about him. He was a legend; the hero of all the peasants' stories, stories that were whispered from parents to their children, stories that travelled, carrying a message of hope, through the castle walls and straight to King Leopold's council. But Regina was not a peasant, and this bandit had been stealing from her husband for a long time now. She was not here to befriend him, she was here against her free will, and she shouldn't forget that.

The Queen studied the man who stood in front of her. If he would be part of the King's court he would have a lot of conquests among the noble women, no doubt. He didn't have a clean shave, which made him look a little bit wild and extremely handsome. His legs were well toned, from what she could see through his tight pants; she deduced that his arms and chest's muscles were equally fit, after all, when he had held her as they fell from the horse, she had felt secure in his strong arms. His hair was perfectly combed, as if he didn't live in the forest. And he smelled like forest, that smell that she loved so very much. She shook her head to shake her thoughts away, returning to the conversation that they were having before she was lost in her own mind.

"Well, Robin of Locksley," she said and almost tapped his shoulder, to show him that she really felt bad about this whole situation "I am sorry to disappoint you, but the King couldn't care less about my wellbeing,"

"We will see about that, your majesty," Robin smiled, he was so sure that the King would give him a great amount of money for Regina. She didn't know whether let herself be intoxicated by his optimism or laugh at his stupidity. "Please, follow me," the voice of the bandit brought her back to reality.

And without saying anything else, the Queen followed the thief further into the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

Alright: WOW. That's the only thing I could say when I saw how many people had followed this story - you all poor unfortunate OQ shippers... Seriously, guys, you made my day, I expected 5 or max 10 follows, but you guys blew my mind.

I hope I'll live to everyone's expectations :)

Thanks to xmyvampireheartx, my awesome beta. You seriously rock!

Mara

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They had been walking for what felt like hours. Robin's men had passed them a long time ago, riding the horses they had just stolen from the King and carrying her carriage and gold with them. Why hadn't they taken her with them? Or why hadn't they left her at least a horse? Had her carriage been too heavy for three horses? She doubted it.

Regina couldn't help but wonder if Robin was making her walk in circles to confuse her about the camp's location - as if she would go and tell her dear husband the whereabouts of his major problem. No, she would never. Not because she wanted to protect Robin of Locksley and his filthy thieves, but because she liked when Leopold struggled, trying to catch the bandits.

The Queen remembered the countless times that the King had invited her to the council meetings, and she had to sit and listen how the Merry Men had evaded the King's Guard. It never failed to amuse her. Maybe her life was not peachy, but the thieves were making Leopold's harder than a King's life was supposed to be. And for that, she was thankful.

Regina then noticed a tree with a flyer that she had seen a while ago, it was a flyer that stated that a reward of 100 golden coins would be given to whoever caught Robin of Locksley or any other member of the Merry Men. She knew it was the same flyer because someone had written 'We will never betray the Prince of Thieves' on top of the picture and had drawn a moustache over Robin's sketch - which didn't looked nothing alike to the real Robin. Unconsciously, she moaned in discomfort, her feet her killing her, her back ached and who knew how much longer Robin would have her walk.

"What's wrong, your majesty? Not used to the fresh air?" Robin asked in a mocking tone.

"More like not used to walking in circles with a moron who thinks I haven't noticed," she snapped.

He looked surprised that she had noticed that they were walking in circles, as if it took a higher level of intelligence to realise that. Regina rolled her eyes at the thief. Did he seriously think she was a dumb and helpless Queen?

"Do you want to rest for a while?" he offered.

"Why can't we just get to your stupid camp already?"

"It's far away,"

"I bet, if we keep walking in circles..."

"It is still a long walk, even if we walk in a straight line,"

Regina exhaled annoyed and sat on a tree's root that had arched outside the earth. Robin sat in front of her and studied the Queen with curiosity. She looked so different from what he had imagined. Yes, her beauty lived up to the expectations he had after hearing tales about her, but there was something different about Regina, something that other Queens didn't have. It was as if her lips wanted to sing a sad song and her eyes had held too many tears - more than any woman should ever hold in a life time.

The Queen was studying the thief as well; past his more-than-alright body and face, there was something that intrigued her: his past. What was Robin of Locksley before he became the Prince of thieves? Where had he come from? Locksley was not even part of King Leopold's kingdom.

"What were you? Before you turned into a thief?" Regina asked, breaking the silence between them.

"Why do you care?" he replied with another question. He wasn't angry, just confused at her sudden interest.

"I've heard all the tales about Robin of Locksley, the hero," the Queen said, "But I've never heard anything about Robin of Locksley, the man,"

"I was just a man,"

"I don't believe that," Regina raised an eyebrow "Where is Locksley? What are you doing here?" she asked. After seeing that he wouldn't answer her questions she added, "Your Queen asked you a question, Robin of Locksley,"

Robin sighed, he hated talking about his past. It opened scars and reminded him of betrayals; somethings should stay in the past, and never be mentioned again, but he knew that she wouldn't drop the topic, so it was better to get over with it "I was a knight once," the thief said.

Regina's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hair-line. The Prince of Thieves had a title once? One that was legit? Well, this was a big shocker. Then again, that explained his impeccable appearance, and his gentle way of treating her and speaking - even if sarcasm and mockery got the best of him most of the times.

"What happened?"

"I refused to collect more taxes," he explained, "The people were starving and the King wanted more and more money, his greed was limitless,"

"So, you just ran away? Into my husband's kingdom?" she asked disappointed; she hadn't expected that, as the hero that people claimed him to be, he would have stayed and fight.

"No," Robin said after a while and took off the leather wristbands he had and uncovered a set of marks around his wrist, "First, they hung me and starved me, for days," he explained, "Then, they asked me if I still thought that the King was greedy. That's how I got these," the bandit took his shirt off and turned around so that Regina could appreciate the scars that had stayed as a result of the lashes he had received.

Regina felt tempted to lean in and touch the scars on his toned back, and it took all the force she had in to restrain herself of doing so. "And then you ran away?" she asked after clearing her throat.

"No," the thief said dryly and his eyes went dark.

"What happened?" this time, Regina's question didn't come out of curiosity, but out of concern - even if she couldn't bring herself to admit it, the way that his happy-self had turned into a cold and distant-self had shocked her.

"That's a story for another time," he replied putting his shirt back on and standing up, "We should get going," Robin added, offering her a hand to help her and then, started walking.

Regina followed him close behind, silence surrounded once again. The Queen looked at the Prince of Thieves as they walked, as the sun went down and the darkness of the night started to wrap them, but she didn't spoke another word. She couldn't help but going back to the moment when Robin's face had changed, cheerfulness being replaced by sorrowfulness. It only made her more interested in the man. Why would have he endured all the torture and then leave for something else? Had he been hurt? Had someone hurt him? Would he ever open to her? She doubted it, after all, she wouldn't open to him about her past, so it was only fair not to pry on his.

The stars were already shining in the sky above them when she heard music and laughs, her eyes were directed to a bonfire that burned few yards away from them. She prayed to the Gods that the bonfire was the Merry Men's camp, she didn't know how much longer her feet would endure this torturous walk. To her relief, Robin guided her towards the bonfire.

"Well, your majesty," he said once they were in front of the burning flames, "Welcome to the Merry Camp,"

The Queen hoped her facial expressions didn't betray her. But she was awed by the camp, the way some men sang to cheer the environment, while another group of men cooked dinner. Peace and happiness reigned the place, in a way that she had never felt before.

"You must be tired," Robin commented after a while, "I'll walk you to your tent so you can get some rest before dinner," he said and extended an arm in the direction he wanted her to walk.

Robin walked behind her, his hand close to her lower back, never touching the Queen's skin. But Regina knew it was there, she could feel the warmth of his palm against her back and she felt safe. It was the first time, since Daniel's death, that she felt safe. And it relaxed her and scared her at the same time.


	3. Chapter 3

Alright, here is chapter 3 you awesome people!

I usually like King Leopold, but I decided to put him as most of the OUAT fandom thinks he was.

Thanks to xmyvampireheartx, my beta, who makes my works less flawed.

Hugs,

Mara.

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The Queen studied her surroundings, the tent that had been her shelter for the past two days: it was filthy and smelt musty. If her mother would see the pathetic excuse of bed on which she been sleeping, some men would lose their hearts, and lives. Not that she really cared about their worthless lives, they had kidnapped her and treated her in ways no peasant should treat their Queen. She knew she could rip their hearts out, after all Rumpelstiltskin had taught her a thing or two. But she knew the price for taking and crushing someone's heart: selling your soul to the dark side; and that was a price that Regina was not willing to pay, not yet.

She didn't want to become dark; she had seen what dark magic could do, she had been victim of it. No, she would only use magic as last resort, when all her hopes were gone. For now, she just planned on waiting and see if Leopold would be the good man that everyone praised him to be, she would wait and see if her _beloved_ husband would pay the money that these men were asking for her.

"I see you are awake, m'lady," Robin said, stepping into the hanged rags they called_ the Royal Tent_.

"It's your majesty," Regina snapped, "And I can hardly sleep in this _bed_, if you can call it like that," she pointed at the straw mattress. "Why are there only two men guarding my _tent_?"

"If it's my men's behaviour that worries you, fear not your majesty; they are men of honor,"

"Yes, I'm sure thieves are men of honor," she replied in a mocking tone, "However, it's not your men I'm worried about,"

"No?" Robin asked, confused.

"You should be the one worrying about me escaping," Regina pointed out. And Robin couldn't help but laughing at her, "I will let you know I am perfectly capable of orientating myself in the woods by using the sun, the stars and the moss that grows on the ground,"

"I bet you are m'lady," Robin said using a scornful tone, and then quickly corrected the way he had addressed to her, "_Your majesty_,"

The Queen crossed her arms. Why wouldn't she be able of knowing how to orient herself? Because she was a girl? Because she was the Queen? Someday she would make him eat his words, along with that cocky behaviour of his. "Any words from the King?" she asked, refusing on addressing Leopold as her husband.

The Merry Man shook his head, "No, your majesty,"

Regina pursed her lips into a smile, she couldn't help but enjoying his disappointment. Yes, she was suffering, but at least the outlaw was not getting what he wanted either.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked.

"I told you he wouldn't pay for me," she replied, proud to be right.

"And that makes you happy?" the outlaw asked again, "To know that your husband is not trying to rescue you?"

The smile disappeared from Regina's face, but she didn't look away. "It's not like he loves me," she said and shrugged, even if she knew that ladies were not supposed to have such body language.

"If it would be the other way around," Robin said taking a step closer to her, "And I would be holding him for ransom, would you have sent your men already?"

"Yes," Regina gave away too quickly. "I would have sent my men," her answer seemed to surprise Robin, "I would have sent my men telling you to kill the King, for you would not receive a single silver coin from my pocket to save his life," she added, bitterness painting her voice.

"Why did you marry him, if you despise him so much?" the outlaw asked, her previous answer had shocked him, "Is all the gold worth the hate that you feel towards him?"

"Who said I married him willingly?" she threw daggers at him with her eyes. "Just because I married the King doesn't mean _I_ was the one after his gold,"

"Really?" Robin raised an eyebrow, "Because you don't seem as the type of girl who would be comfortable sleeping in a stable,"

_The stables_. Just mentioning the word brought back painful memories, memories that she wanted buried deep in, both, her heart and brain. Memories of her true love dying; of her holding his lifeless body on her arms. _Daniel_. How different would her life been if she would have run away with him, if she would have married him. Would they have children already? Maybe their own house, a cozy and loving home; a small farm in one of the kingdom's corners, far away from her mother, the King and that brat of, Snow White.

"M'lady," Robin's voice brought her back to reality, to her tent, "Are you alright?" he asked half confused, half worried.

It was then when she realised that tears where running down her cheeks. "Get out of my sight!" she yelled at him, trying to sound regal, trying to hide her pain.

Robin didn't move at first, he stood still as he studied her, wondering how could someone pass from bitterness, to sadness, to hate, in a short spam of few seconds. Regina was a mystery to him. Without thinking much about it, he raised his hands and swiped away the tears that were running down the Queen's cheeks with his thumbs. That would have cost him a hand, or even his life, if they would have been back at the castle; but he didn't regret touching her.

She flinched at the contact of his hands with her cheeks, probably waiting for a violent touch rather than a gentle one. Had she thought that he would hurt her? That thought made Robin furrow his eyebrows, her body's reaction to his caress had been as if she hadn't felt something similar in a long time. His confused eyes studied Regina's face. She didn't say anything, she had suddenly gone mute.

Then, when Robin gaze met hers, an even worse reaction happened: she gulped. As if she was waiting for him to forcer her into sex, to make her understand that she was powerless to a man. He took a step back, his hands suddenly missing the warmth of Regina's body. The Queen's body language had told him enough, it had made him realise that she had been speaking the truth form the beginning. That the King didn't love her, nor respected her. And in that moment, he swore to the Gods and himself that he would protect the Queen until his last breath.

"Excuse me, m'lady," he said, bowing his head and left her alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Notes at the end :)

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It had been almost one week since the Queen's kidnapping and there was still no word from the King. Regina didn't know whether to feel relieved that the King didn't want to rescue her, or be mad due to the same fact. She was, after all, his wife and his Queen; she was his daughter's stepmother. That had to count for something. Maybe he was already looking for a new bride, after all, if it had taken him one year of mourning to replace his first wife, the one he really loved, how long would it take to replace her? She wondered if the people who really loved her were worried, her father, for example; or if Rocinante missed her.

Regina was sitting on the stiff bed looking into the nothing, she was still not used to the Merry Men's way of living. The mattress was hard, and they didn't have much variety of food, but they had horses. Sometimes, when Robin let her walk around the camp, she would go and feed the horses. Of course she was not allowed to ride them, but at least she could pet them. Horses always took her mind off her problems. She had also grown fond of they Merry Men's nights around the bonfires, telling jokes or ghost stories.

That day, her usually boring morning was interrupted by Robin stepping into the _Royal Tent_ carrying spare clothes with him. "Here," the outlaw said handing her a pair of riding pants, a shirt and a jacket, "I thought you would be more comfortable if you got rid of that dress,"

Regina stared at the clothes that he had just given to her, they were similar to the clothes she used to wear when she went riding with Daniel. The jacket was pastel green coloured and looked a little bit worn out and the pants were khaki coloured, and she could already see they would be a little bit long, but it would do. Anything was better than the dirty dress that she had worn for almost a week now.

"Would you... I - Um - uh, " the thief struggled formulating the next sentence.

"Eloquent as usual," Regina pointed out and raised an eyebrow, "Would I what?"

Robin swallowed, "Would you, maybe, want to bathe?" he asked, and couldn't help but slightly blushing, hoping she didn't take this the wrong way "There's a place, upstream but not far away, where you could bathe in peace,"

"Oh," she let out, "I don't know," the queen admitted, a bathe sounded wonderful, but she didn't want to be naked if the Merry Men were close to her.

"I would keep watch while you bathe, your majesty," he stated, "If anyone tries to lay eyes on you, I would kill him,"

Regina had to refrain herself from smiling, would he really go to such extent to protect her reputation? Of course not, he was probably protecting his ticket out of poverty. After all, she was the Queen, and any bandit could hold her for ransom. So, instead of thanking him, she just said sarcastically "My hero!" and walked out of the tent, closely followed by Robin.

They walked out of camp, Regina leading the way, not really knowing where she was headed to, but too proud to ask the outlaw that followed her for directions. She stopped for a while and tried to listen; she was supposed to bathe in a river, rivers had flows, and flows made sounds. She was trying really hard on excluding the other sounds, like birds singing or the wind blowing through the trees. She heard nothing, except Robin cracking the dry tree branch that he had just stepped on. Regina rolled her eyes and tried harder, Daniel had taught her this, she could do it. She closed her eyes and listened to the nature.

When the only thing she heard was Robin chuckling, she opened her eyes and shoot him a glare, "Are you done?" Robin asked her, "Or do you want to stay here until the sun goes down and the water gets cold?"

Regina tightened her jaw muscles, "If you would be so kind and let me listen to the river, I could -,"

"You can't listen the river from here," Robin interrupted her. By her face, he could see no one had interrupted her in a while, so he quickly added, "Your Majesty," to try to sound more polite and respectful. "It is three miles to the north and then one to the northeast,"

They had to go north. Regina smiled to herself, that was something she could figure out. She walked towards the nearest tree and studied it, looking for moss. "_Moss only grows in the north part of a tree, Regina,_" she heard Daniel's voice in her head, just as he had explained her when he was teaching her how to navigate through the nature. "_You see, if the sun goes out on the east, and goes to the west, it leaves the north side of the tree in the dark for most of the day, specially during winter days,_"

"We go that way," Regina pointed out with her index finger, feeling confident about her decision.

Robin pursed his lips into a half-smile and nodded in approval, "You really are a box of surprises, aren't you?"

The Queen didn't say anything, she already felt enough satisfaction on proving him wrong: she _did_ know how to orientate herself in the woods. Back when Daniel had taught her how find the cardinal points, she thought it would never come in handy, that she would have him to guide her forever. But she had been wrong, about the first thing at least. About the second, she had been partly wrong, because even after his death, Daniel was still taking care of her.

Daniel had told her once that 2200 of her steps were a mile, since she wouldn't count until such a high number, she divided it by four. 550 steps per quarter of miles. They walked in silence the three miles north, Regina counting every step and Robin too interested in the Queen, studying each frown and each smirk - she was really something.

"Three miles!" Regina said, sounding happier than what she had intended to. "Now one to the northeast," she added and looked up to the sky.

"_Place your body facing the north,_" Daniel's voice echoed in her mind, and she could feel the phantom of his body behind her, gently holding her shoulders, "_Your right hand will be the east, and your left hand, the west,_" She knew where she had to go next, not completely towards the side her right hand was pointing, but between the north and the east.

She started walking without telling Robin the direction they should take, she was only one mile away from taking a bathe and she could only think about the water cleaning her skin. She felt filthy and the idea of finally washing her body and her hair stirred her. The excitement almost made her lose the step count; but when she was finally able to hear the water running, she stopped counting and ran, guided by her hearing. Robin had first been confused when he saw Regina running off, it took him a while to understand that she must have heard the river. The outlaw couldn't help but smiling at the Queen's happiness for such a small detail.

By the time the thief had caught up with the Queen, she was already sitting on a rock and dipping her feet in the water. She was smiling, and it made all this walk worth it for him. Regina stopped smiling as soon as she noticed that Robin was with her, as if she didn't want to let him know that she was enjoying herself thanks to him.

"I'll be sitting there," Robin said pointing a tree few feet away, "If you see or hear anything that frightens you, yell and I'll be here as quick as a wink,"

After Regina nodded, understanding the order he had just gave her, Robin turned on his heels and walked towards the tree he had pointed moments ago.

"Thank you," he heard, and it took him off guard. Not her voice, but the words she had spoken.

"You are welcome, your Majesty,"

"Regina," the Queen corrected him, "You may call me Regina," she added with a smile that made Robin's heart skip a beat.

Robin nodded and continued his way towards the tree, where he sat. He didn't know how long it would take Regina to wash herself, but he knew it would take a while. He better keep his mind occupied from imagining Regina's naked body, he better find something to distract himself or he would ended up sneaking a peek. And he had just earned Regina's trust, so he wouldn't ruin all his work because of some his body's stupid need to see Regina bathing. He dropped his gaze to the floor as he let a breath out, this had been a bad idea.

Then a carpet of flowers caught his attention. He smiled to himself, he had the perfect idea about how to keep his mind occupied as Regina took a bathe.

Before Regina stripped of the clothes she looked around, studying the plants that grew besides the river. Daniel had shown different plants' properties, she had learnt with him that some plants could be used as soaps, of course it was not the same thing as a soap, and some of them smelt pretty badly, but at least she would be clean. So she scavenged the region.

First she found a bunch of a white flower that people call _Soap Lily_, it was generally used for washing hair, since it was effective against dandruff. Then, Regina found tree of _Horse Chestnuts_, those were good for cleaning the skin, but it stank. Luckily for the Queen, she also found a bed of _Soapwort_, a pink flower that she would use for washing her body from the Horse Chestnut's odor.

Once she was done cleaning herself, she dried her body with the old dress and put on the clothes that Robin had brought her. The thought of the man who had brought her the dress made her realize that Robin hadn't made any comment since he let her take the bathe alone. Had he left her? She didn't want to admit it to herself, but the thought made her panicked a bit.

"Are you still here?" she asked, unsure if she was actually talking to someone.

"Are you done?" she heard Robin reply and exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Almost," Regina replied getting dressed.

The pants were, indeed, a little big for her. She had to fold the ends so she wouldn't step on them. But it felt so nice to be on pants again. The shirt and the jacket fit perfectly on her body, she looked down at them, wondering how had been the previous owner. The only thing she was truly missing now where her riding boots, but luckily, she had not been traveling in heels but in flat shoes, so at least it was not unbearable.

She started walking towards Robin as she braided her damped hair. This is how she was supposed to live, wearing pants and having her hair braided, walking in the forest with no worries. No high buns and dresses, no tiaras and high heels, that was just not her.

"You should braid your hair more often," Robin said when he saw her.

"Thank you," she replied, noticing it was the second time in a day that she said those words to him. Maybe he deserved to be treated with kindness, after all he had been nothing but gentle towards her, "I haven't braided it since I married the King. I am not allowed to wear this hairstyle at court,"

"Too bad, it suits you," he commented with a shrug. "I made you something," the outlaw spoke after a while.

"You made me something?" Regina asked, and he couldn't decipher if she was shocked or disgusted by the fact that he thought he could make something worth of being hers.

"Well, don't sound so shocked," he defended his actions, "I got bored, you took an awful amount of time to bathe" Robin explained, not wanting to tell Regina the real reason behind needing to occupy his mind with something.

"It's not that," the Queen shook her head "It's just... no one has made something for me in a long time ago,"

"Except the 100 chefs that cook you dinner," Robin mocked her.

"They hardly do that because they feel like doing it, it's their job,"

And there it was: the sadness that tried to hide behind the toughness of the Queen's voice. "Here," he said, wanting to put an end to her sadness, and handing her a flower crown "It's probably not as pretty as the ones you have back home," Robin added.

"It's beautiful," Regina replied and her smile made her eyes look shinier. She didn't take the crown from Robin, instead she bowed her head a little and let him put the crown on her head.

He had not expected that reaction. Not the Queen telling that the crown was beautiful and even less allowing him to place it on top of her head. Robin set the crown gently over her hair, which smelled like flowers already. Had she made soap out of flowers? Did she even know how? There was a whole side to Regina that remained hidden behind the regal appearance that a queen is expected to have. A side that he was dying to know.

When Regina raised her head to meet his gaze with hers, she stole his breath. The Queen was a beautiful woman; but seeing her in his world, dressed as one of his own, with her beautiful hair braided and a flower crown on her head was a sight that would mesmerize any man.

"Now, you look like a true queen," he commented, a smiled at her.

"The Queen of the Woods," Regina said in a teasing tone. The tone was so foreign to herself, the feeling of be enjoying with someone else as well; but it also felt good, it made her feel happy.

"Queen of the Woods, indeed," he smiled at her, "Now, let's go back to the camp, I don't want the Merry Men to worry about us,"

"About you, you mean," she corrected him and the smiled disappeared from her face. The feeling of not being loved by anyone took over her mind again. The outlaws didn't really care what happened to her, she was just a part of their treasure, ready to be exchanged by cash, nothing less and nothing more.

"You would find that some of my men are really good company if you would give them the chance," Robin said, trying to make her feel better. He hated seeing her so fragile and broken. "I could put you on kitchen duty with Little John, if you want,"

"I don't know how to cook," Regina replied, staring at the ground.

"I've heard Little John makes an excellent culinary teacher," the outlaw said, and he dared to lift the Queen's chin with his index finger. She didn't move away, nor protest about his touch; she stood still, "Just try to enjoy yourself while you are with us,"

Regina pursed her lips into a thin smile and nodded. The problem was that she feared she'd like it too much; and then, her heart wouldn't be able to survive once the King paid the money the Merry Men were asking for her.

* * *

NOTES

The facts Regina uses to orientate herself are real. The moss does grow like Daniel taught Regina (if you are in the northern hemisphere). 1 mile is an average of 2000 to 2500 steps (depending on your height). These two things might come in handy if an outlaw happens to kidnap you while you are on your way to meet your husband :P - not but really, it's always good to know how to orientate yourself if your smartphone's GPS dies. And the plants that she uses are also real and were used as soaps in Europe and North America, what I do no know is they grow next to rivers - I wrote the common names, so you can google them in case you guys are interested in how they look like :)

And yes, I decided that there are flat shoes in the enchanted forrest.

Thanks, once again for all the feedback! And thank you xmyvampireheartx for being my beta!


	5. Chapter 5

Aw, you guys! Thanks for the reviews! And so many people liked the "surviving" things I wrote, I'll definitely try and research more things then!

Also, thank you for following and favoriting! And thanks to xmyvampireheartx for doing her magic :)

Enjoy,

M.

* * *

Robin Hood was carrying out one of his daily duties: gathering wood for that evening's bonfire. But Robin's mind was far away from the clearing where his body was; his mind was with the image he had seen this morning before setting out to perform his duties: the image of Regina and little John cooking lunch. She looked so at peace, so at ease. Little John was teaching her how to smoke the meat without drying it out. And Regina had laughed at some point of the conversation - she had actually laughed, and the sound had made Robin feel calm in a way he hadn't felt in quite a long time.

He had stared at the chef and his assistant for a while, trying to memorize every single detail from the scene; he knew that moments like these wouldn't last forever. And then, Regina had raised her gaze, her chocolate-coloured eyes had locked with his eyes, and she had offered him a small smile.

The thief smiled at the memory of Regina smiling at him. Whenever she was around him, he needed to fight the urge to wrap her in his arms, to kiss her forehead and maybe her lips. But every time he touched her, his skin burned and his conscience had a fit inside his mind, both reminding him that she was not _his_. She belonged to someone else, someone who treated her like a possession rather than the most beautiful woman on earth.

A loud snap brought him back to reality, he drew his bow and an arrow and positioned himself to attack.

"It's me, Robin," he heard a familiar voice say; but to his disappointment, it was not a female voice. "Will Scarlet,"

"Will," he lowered his bow and stored the arrow with the other ones, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on morning duty," the young thief said, "And I saw two of the King's men, they are calling for you,"

"For me?" Robin asked confused,

Will Scarlet nodded, "I think they came to bargain for the Queen,"

Will's statement made Robin's heart shrink. The King had sent his men to recover his wife, to pay for her freedom. That had been the plan all along; but, was he ready to let Regina go? '_Don't let your feelings get into the game, Hood!_' he scolded himself, '_We both know what happened last time you risked it all for a woman,_'. No, the things should go according to the plan. He needed to ask for the money and after receiving the amount he had asked, he had to give Regina back. Robin told Will to lead him towards the King's men, and thought about the things he would say as they walked.

"Gentlemen," Robin said when he saw the knights.

"Thief," one of them replied, not showing the same respect that Robin had shown towards them, "The King demands his wife back,"

"And I recall demanding an amount of money for her return to him," there was a hint of mockery on the thief's voice.

The knight that had remained silent threw a burgundy bag towards Robin, it landed in front of the thief's feet. He leaned to pick up the bag and opened it, it contained around fifty golden coins. The Merry Men could feed five towns for a month with that amount of money. But fifty coins was nothing to a King, moreover if it was to save the wife he _loved_ so much.

"We want more," Robin said closing the bag and throwing it to the same man who had held it in the first place, "Tell the King that hundred coins are the price for the Queen's freedom and save passage through the woods,"

"He won't be pleased," the man carrying the bag stated.

"Well, I am not pleased with his proposal," Robin crossed his arms, "Now, you go and tell your beloved King that if he wants to see his wife alive, he'll have hundred gold coins for me before sunday,"

"You are playing with fire, Robin Hood," the man who had spoken first said, and turned his horse to start riding back to the castle "The King is a good man, but he won't forgive this easily,"

Robin laughed as they rode away. It was not the first time he was on a King's black list, and he was sure as hell it wouldn't be the last time either. He turned around, and started marching to the place where he had left the wood that he had been gathering before he met with Will Scarlet.

"What was that?" the younger thief asked with a curious look.

"What was _what_?"

"You rejected fifty gold coins!" Will exclaimed, "We could feed the bloody realm with that!"

"She's worth more,"

"To him or to you?" it was a simple question, and it was a simple answer. But it was an answer that Robin was not ready to share, specially with one of his fellow merry men.

"Help me with the wood, Scarlet," Robin said, changing topics.

Will smiled at him and followed his leader's order without speaking another word. He knew exactly what was going on inside of Robin's head, after all, he had also found his _One and Only_. The difference was that his Ana was not married to anyone, specially not to a King. Which made his relationship with her easier than the one Robin and Regina had.

"You know," Will broke the silence once they were walking towards the camp, "I'm sure the men would understand if you explained them,"

"If I explained them what, exactly?" Robin asked, really not knowing that was Will referring to.

"That you fancy the Queen and do not wish to return her,"

In less than a couple of seconds, Robin had Will trapped between his arms and a tree, holding Will's shirt's collar with both of his fist closed. "Listen to me, Will," he said in a low and dangerous voice tone, "the Queen is not an ordinary woman, she's the King's wife. If word got out that I _fancy_ her, we would _all_ get in trouble. So I suggest you to keep your mouth shut," Robin looked straight into Will's eyes, "Do you understand?" he asked.

Will nodded, but Robin's actions had just confirmed his theory. He hadn't seen so much passion and worry in Robin eyes since the Marion fiasco/scheme. "My lips are sealed," he said.

Robin had been like a brother to him, he had taken him in and offered protection to Ana, he had been a fair leader and a true friend. Will would keep his word, he wouldn't tell anyone, but he would try to make Robin understand his feelings towards the Queen. And he knew, that just like him, the other Merry Men wouldn't complain at Robin's change of heart; most of them had seen Robin after Marion broke his heart, the others had heard the stories from the older men, they all respected Robin and believed that he deserved a happy ending.

Plus, he had also noticed the change of the Queen's behaviour. When she was brought to the camp for the first time, she had a sad and angry face and her skin was pale. Her eyes had no life, and it looked like she would crumble any second. But now she was a different woman, she smiled and even laughed from time to time, her skin had tanned a little bit, making her look healthier. And her eyes shined, especially when she looked at Robin.

The Merry Men would definitely understand. They didn't just fight for the poor, the fought for what was right; and Robin and Regina, they were _right_ for each other. Now, he _just_ needed Robin and the Queen to admit to their feelings.


	6. Chapter 6

_HUGE-ass note coming!_

First of all, sorry I didn't update on sunday as I usually do!

I had a horrible weekend. First, my best friend made me run a marathon (and it was more like the marathon run me _over_) and then, as if I don't deserve a day of peace my mother set me up in a date (because apparently being almost 22 and single is horrible and it means that I'll never give her grandchildren) - I know her intentions are good, the guy also practices fencing and so my mother thought we would hit it off, what she didn't know was that we practice in rival teams (picture Real Madrid/Barcelona... Slytherin/Gryffindor... get the picture?) needless to say, it was a disaster... and after that I was mentally drained.

Anyway, yeah... Sorry!

Hope you guys enjoy this update! And speaking of updates, I'll have to put a stop to this fic for a while - I know it sucks, it bothers me as much as it bothers you, but I have to start preparing for my tests and I have to write so many essays and I hate going to college... So, all of my stories that are far from their endings will be put in some sort of hiatus until I am done with my finals. Long story made short: this will be the last update _until_ July 21st (which is the date of my last exam).

Last but not least, thank you xmyvampireheartx for being my beta and fixing my stupid mistakes!

Hugs,

Mara.

* * *

Robin had been beating himself for what felt like days, even if it had been a few hours. He had deprived Regina from her right to go home, he had deprived the Merry Men and the countrymen from food and other necessities that the money could have bought. All because _he_ wanted to be with Regina, because _he_ couldn't let her go, at least not yet.

But why? Why couldn't he let her go? Will Scarlet's words came back to his mind. Did he really fancy the Queen? She is beautiful and smart, there was no point on denying that. But, was it really true that he wanted to keep her because of that? He shook the thoughts away.

Regardless of the reasons, he had done something selfish, he had put his wishes before Regina's and that made him as bad as the King. He had treated Regina as an object, and not as the person she was. A beautiful person that had the right to choose, the right to decide if she wanted to stay with him or go back to the castle.

He had to talk to her, and ask her what did _she_ want. Because as much as it hurt him to let her go, he wanted her to be happy, and if Regina would be happy sleeping on the king-sized bed in a silk pyjama, then so be it.

"I need to tell you something." he told Regina, walking into her tent "I've done something incredible selfish,"

An '_I can hardly believe that,_' crossed Regina's mind, but she decided to stay quiet and hear what Robin had to say. He had a look of consternation on his face, coupled with guilt and self-loathing. As if he had done something that he regretted.

"Will Scarlet and I saw King Leopold's men today," Robin started.

"Oh," she let out, and he couldn't point out if she was relieved or worried. Regina was upset, but for different reasons than the ones that Robin had predicted. Had he decide to finally ship her off? He obviously got the money that the King offered for her and now he was taking her back home. And just like that, this new life that she was growing fond of had come to an end.

"They offered an amount of money and I refused it," the outlaw said, bringing Regina back to reality. He had almost blurted it out, not wanting to hold the truth much longer.

"Why?"

"I asked for more," he saw her stiffen, and he wondered if she believed that the money was the only reason behind this ransom - it had been like that at the beginning, but now everything had changed.

"Very well," she said quietly, "Please, leave me alone now," Regina almost whispered, holding the tears from rolling down her cheeks and trying to keep her heart from shredding into thousand little pieces.

Robin stood up to do as the Queen ordered, but before he said "Just so we are clear, I didn't do it for the money," he had decided to be honest with her, and honest he would be, even if that meant that she'd hate him for life, "For me, not all the gold in the kingdom makes the King worth of your presence," he explained, "I asked for more money because I realized I was not ready to let you go, and it was the only way I could think of to keep you with me,"

Regina looked at him, and he saw in her eyes something he had never seen before, something he couldn't figure out. Truth was, no one had ever valued her presence so much. Sure, Daniel had loved her and she had loved him with all her soul, but he had taken her presence for granted; after all, they had spent every day of their teenager years together. But no one had ever done anything to keep her by their side, no one had fought to be with her. And here he was, Robin, who had turned down the King's offer just to be with her. She knew Leopold, he wouldn't forgive this easily, and she was sure that Robin knew that as well. Yet, he had taken the risk.

"I judged the King because he doesn't let you choose what to do with your life, and I did just as he does. I've disappointed you and I've disappointed myself too, I am too a selfish man, no better than the King is. And for that I am sorry. You must think I'm a horrible person,"

The Queen stayed in quiet for a while, thinking on an appropriate response. Robin took the silence as his cue to leave, so he turned on his heels and started walking towards the tent's entrance.

"You are not a horrible person," Regina's voice stopped him from stepping outside the tent, "I appreciate that you came and told me, all of this," he turned on his heels, "And no, Robin, I'm not disappointed at you," she breathed in "If you really want to take my opinion into consideration," Regina started, "I -," the Queen trailed off, not wanting to expose her thoughts.

No one had ever let her make her own choices, no one except Daniel, that is. Her mother made her marry the King, the King had used her and dispose of disposed her as he pleased, Snow White had decided to make Regina her step-mother. No one had ever cared about what she thought or what her heart desired. Yet Robin had asked her, even if he had said that he didn't want to let her go, he had given her the option to choose, and that made her heart grow a little and pump faster.

He walked towards her and took her hands in his. The boldness of his action was greeted with a jerk, but then the Queen relaxed to his touch and let him squeeze her hands "Yes, Regina?" he asked her, encouraging her to speak her mind.

"I wish to stay here," Regina replied, studying their hands, then she raised her gaze and almost pleaded, "Please, don't send me back,"

"I won't," Robin said, "I'll figure a way, Regina; if you want to stay, I'll make it happen," he added, even if he knew that that would never happen.

Regina would eventually have to go back to the King, he was her husband and as much as Robin hated it, the rules of the realm were clear: no man could steal another man's woman; specially not the King's. And he knew that Regina knew that too. But he wouldn't worry about that, not today. Today she was protected in his camp, today the King wouldn't touch her or even speak to her. Today she was safe. And, without giving her any warning, he brought Regina closer and wrapped her in a hug.

A hug. Regina hadn't been hugged in such a long time that she had almost forgotten how it felt like. The Thief could feel their hearts beating like drums under their ribcages; their speed increased when the Queen slid her arms around Robin and hugged him back. She needed this, she needed comfort and protection, and even if she knew it wouldn't last, she would enjoy it as long as she could.

"Thank you," she whispered against his shoulder,

"Always,"


End file.
